Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to the field of monitoring and/or surgical modification of neurological and/or receptor functionality and activity. The present disclosure also relates to catheter based systems for use in nerve and/or receptor monitoring, electrophysiological monitoring, and/or surgical procedures.
Background
Congestive heart failure, hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, and chronic renal failure have many different initial causes; however, all may include some form of sympathetic hyperactivity. Sensory receptors and sympathetic nerves communicate signals with sympathetic centers located in the spinal cord and brain via afferent renal nerve activity, increasing systemic sympathetic tone; meanwhile, through efferent activity, renal nerves and arteries participate in sympathetic hyperactivity in response to signals from the brain, further increasing systemic sympathetic tone.
Sympathetic activation can initially be beneficial but eventually becomes maladaptive. In a state of sympathetic hyperactivity, a number of pathological events take place: abnormalities of hormonal secretion such as increased catecholamine, renine and angiotensin II levels, increased blood pressure due to peripheral vascular constriction and/or water and sodium retention, renal failure due to impaired glomerular filtration and nephron loss, cardiac dysfunction and heart failure due to left ventricular hypertrophy and myocyte loss, stroke, and even diabetes. Therefore, modulation (reduction/removal) of this increased sympathetic activity can slow or prevent the progression of these diseases.
Although ablation of such nerves can have positive effects on drug resistant hypertension and glucose metabolism abnormality, current methodologies for denervation (e.g. ablation, etc.) are conducted without adequate feedback (with respect to the site of a denervation event, the extent of denervation, the effect of denervation on local physiology, etc.).
Furthermore, many conditions require access to tissues within the walls of a lumen within the body. Oftentimes, access to deeper tissues within the wall may be necessary for optimal treatment. Inner layers of tissue and damage adjacent to the lumen (e.g. intima, plaque, calcium deposits, etc.) may present complications in communicating from within the lumen out into the wall thereof to the desired tissues (e.g. electrical communication, fluid communication, and the like).